Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-06-30
Riding Against Death.
A Boy Engine er's Terrible Race With a
Lightning Express.

Boy Engine er's Terrible Race with a
Lightning Express.
June wide-Awske
A fifteen-year old son of a LOCOMOTIVES
engineer had often ridden with his,
father, and knew the engine pooty we'll
Indeed the engineer had oftenlet the boy
drive on long stretch of straight
track.
One night he left "Dave" in charge of
the engine on a siding, while he went to
supper as usual. There came up furi-
Gus wiud, and after little some cars shot
by without any engine. The wind had
started them. Boy, think quick; Down
grade! The lightning express is to come
that way!
Nobody near. No telegraph wire. The
trains are headed togeather. There is
/ less than ten minutes te catch those run
| away cars and pull them out of the way.
/ No time for hesitation He springs to
the lever, picks up steam and tears away
with grade and wind and steam like a
whzzlng arrow.
They are miles ahead. The rushing
minutes are full of sudden cNn prehen-
sion. He almost sees through the dark,
tempestuos night What set him flying
! towards Ohis plunge was thought of the
| lightning Express. Now danger takes
hold of him. What if he is just too late (?
The runaway train is in sight, OF steaml
/ No, on again! Let the story-teller tell the
rest.
He must slow up, but do it SO nicely
that when he does come up with them
there shall be the least possible shock, for
here is the hardest piece of the business.
He has no one TO help him couple" He
must be, for the nonce, both engineer
ami switchman. He had not thought
what a formidable job this was until it
stared him in the face.
On he flew, revolving the situation in
his head and ajusting his engine with
the incest care until he was upon the very
heels of the runaway; then, with many
misgivings, slipped out of the engine
house and crawled along the side of the
locomotive and down on the Cow
catcher"
Here, selling the long coupler in ono
hand and holding on with the other, he
stood watching with breathless interest
the approaching collision. The sus. ence
was agonizing. The situation was peril
Gus. gust of wind might sweep him
from his place; he might be shaken Oft or
crushed.
Hs was almost panicstricken. A dozen
times he was at the point of turning back
To his startled ear the air was full of u n
canny sounds-the sweep of another tor
nado, the rush of the lightning" Just
ahead. But he had in him the stuff which
heroes are made of. The heroe, re-
member is not he who is insencible to
danger, but rather he who feels and real
ICES, but overcomes it.
The "Meteor" drew nearer ard nearer
the flying train. Dave had used excellent
judgement in regulating his speed, for at
length it came up with the rear car with
scarcely a shock, so that Dave could reach
over and drop in the pin.
Then clambering back into the engine
house with trembling eagerness he seized
the throttle" To his amazement the
train did not stop. Instead of the "Met-
teor' stopping the runaway, the runaway
dragon the Meteor" along in its head
long might Dave was horror-strnck. He
had thought the train would stop az once.
He had not calculated what a tremendous
impetus all these heavy cars had &C
CURED.
Now, then, the tussle. The train be-
gan 80 slow up. 1t came to standstill.
Then the backward pull. Slowly they got
under way, but the wind and upgrade
were against them.
Dave began to get anxious. The 'Light-
ming" must be due by this time He
kept sharp lookout behind and whist
led like mad around the curves. At
length he entered upon the long, str
aight, level line of road which extended
clear to Blankton. Dave brsathed freer.
1t was the home-stretch, a good ten-mile
run.
Hardly had he congratulated himsel
when far behind-but unmistakebly-he
heard the scream of the "Llghtning'sn
whistle. He was geing already at his
topmost speed. He was making not NOR
than thirty-tive miles an hour, while the
lightning was coming on at the
rate of sixty. With horror he heard
1t gaining on him. The next whistle was
nearer, and at length, When he had made
only two-thirds the distance, the CLEAN
of its headlight CAME shooting round a
wooded curve in his rear.
Out of the very dispair of the moment
Dave gathered oalmness. de turned his
back on the pursuing train, he cast h.
look behind, he shut his ears to its on
coming roar, looked straight ahead. kept
his eye on the track, his mind on his
duty.
He is almost there-he is there, he
dashes past the station house, across the
switch and down at last upon the
side track
1t is all right Jake and Jim are there
They haze thrown the switch back in
time, and the Lightning" goes whizzing
and shriekiHg past,
When Jake jumped aboard the Me
teor' his son tainted dead away in his
arms.
"Mohair Shoes.